A State Department of Mining official has hinted that Kenya could soon join countries that produce minerals known as tin, tungsten and tantalum. These minerals are used in the production of electronic products such as capacitors, bulb filaments and solder, among others.
While this is good news, it also portends ill since the three minerals, derisively known as 3T, have fueled conflict in African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Despite heavy deposits of 3T and gold in DRC, the country has known no peace and is the poorer for it.
Coming at a time when Kenya is reeling under the weight of a huge foreign debt and going through a serious economic crisis, the expeditious mining of these minerals could be the shot in the arm that the Treasury is waiting for.
However, care must be taken to ensure that the mining of 3T becomes a blessing to the country and does not affect our national cohesion and drive us into war as it has done in other countries
It is not lost on most Kenyans that the hopes the discovery of oil in Turkana evoked have all been dashed. About two years after the Turkana oil discovery, conflict between the Turkana and Pokot who for decades have fought over scarce pasture and water resources intensified. Sadly, the conflict has undermined efforts to get the Turkana venture fully operational.
In the DRC, proceeds from illegal mining and sale of precious minerals, in part, finances DRC's unending internal conflict. When Kenya finally starts mining 3T, we must be careful to ensure that internal or external forces do not take us down that route.
The US adopted the Financial Reform Law in 2012 (US Dodd-Frank Act) that requires American companies to disclose measures they have put in place to avoid acquiring minerals from mines controlled by armed groups that use the proceeds of sales from illegal minerals to fund violence. Other industrialised countries in the West should follow suit to cut off sources of financing of armed groups causing mayhem in Africa over resources. Mineral wealth should bring progress in African countries and not strife.
